Tourniquet
by lilac haze
Summary: She was his tourniquet. She stopped the bleeding, she stopped his bleeding. She stopped his pain, his despair, his loneliness. She was the first face he saw. She was the first person he trusted. She was the first person to keep his secret. She was his tourniquet. He did not love her. He only loved the idea of her. SakuraXMinato. Time-Travel Fic. Alt. Universe
1. Fallen from then Sky

**Warning Contains: Language and blood.**

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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Hello Lovelies,

I'm a bit nervous to present this new idea to you! The level of anxiety I'm feeling makes me wonder how I posted any of my other stories. Maybe it's because I've been off the proverbial horse for a while now. But I hope like the others that this is well received.

As you may have noticed, there is no cover art for this story. I'd thought I would leave that to you. So if you don't mind making some art for this story and sharing it with me? Maybe some where down the road a chapter will speak to you and it might inspire something amazing. I for one can't draw to save my life (of photoshop) so it would be much appreciated if y'all could help a gal out. :) If I have several submissions I decided that the readers of this story can choose from them. I've never done this before so we'll be learning and experimenting together. Thanks in advance. :)

Anyways, I hope you really enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it. So please read, review, and enjoy. Until next time folks!

~L.H.

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**Chapter One: Fallen from then Sky **

She cursed her luck.

This was very typical of what her life was about now. Trouble. Trouble seemed to follow her around like a ghost that she could not shake, no matter how hard she tried. And something was not right. She could feel it in the air. She could practically taste it in the air. Trouble and lots of it was going to insert itself into her life.

It was partially her fault, she realized. A normal person would head away from the blinding light that had caught her attention. A normal person would have simply turned a blind eye and feigned ignorance. Because after all, ignorance is bliss and bliss sounded really good right about now, her life needed a little bit of bliss. Just a little, she did not think she was being greedy or unreasonable with the want.

A normal person would have simply shrugged their shoulders and been on their merry way. But she was not a normal person. It would be more accurate to depict her as the exact opposite of a normal person. Even in a room full of ninjas, she was the least normal one. Her childhood was abnormal for a shinobi. Her normalcy was an abnormality by shinobi standards.

So that explained why she was pushing herself for Kami knows what. Her boots snapped the myriad of thin twigs underfoot with each step. She lengthened her strides. Her lungs burned, her ankles protested, a thin layer of sweat coated her forehead. She had this coming. This was what she got for neglecting her training and not eating correctly.

It had been a stressful few last months. She was still getting used to her new job, her new title, her new life, and her new responsibilities. Being named Head Medic was nothing like she would have imagined. There was more paperwork and less lifesaving that she was expecting. The paperwork, it was endless. She could not remember the last time she had set foot in her parent's house. But she figured that she could not completely blame the job for that. There was something else involved. There was always something else at play. Sometimes life just really sucked.

Things had started to pile up on her but that was no excuse. She was a kunoichi. Fitness and health should always come first. There were no excused for how far she had regressed in terms of stamina and endurance. It was embarrassing. But thankfully she was the only one around to witness the pathetic display. This was the humbling that she had coming long ago. Maybe she would now think twice before declining the sparing sessions the boys always invited her to.

She had been avoiding them. It had gotten so bad that she was sure they forgot what her face even looked like. She was avoiding them like she was avoiding a lot of things lately. It was just in her nature. It was just who she had grown up to be. She ran. She ran instead of facing things. She ran the second things got hard when it came to her personal life. For all the figurative running she was doing, Sakura was slightly disappointed that literally running was posing such a challenge to her.

She bit the corner of her mouth. There was a stitch in her side but she did not have the time to stop. She needed to move. Her jade eyes took in the dreary, overcast sky. The weather was horrid. It was going to rain and it was just in her cards. The whole month of October had been nice up until this day, her first day off in over two years. It was also no coincidence that today was his birthday and she had already been running late.

She could not be a no-show. Not today. He needed them all there. She had to be there for him today of all days. Naruto did not expect much from her yet she still managed to disappoint him. She had promised herself that today would be different. This year would be different. She would finally get around to making it up to him. She would finally make herself more available to her team. This was the year that she finally put them first again.

It was off to a rocky start. She was supposed to be at the bar over a half hour ago. But she figured she could not help her tardiness. She blew a strand from her forehead. She had a bad feeling about this. She had a really bad feeling about this. Surely she could not have been the only one to the blinding beam of light that had erupted somewhere deep on the outskirts of Konoha? Surely someone else should have noticed? Someone was coming, right?

Sakura bit back a curse as she stumbled. She caught herself before she landed face first in the dirt. She was quick to recover. She really did need to start making time for the bi-weekly training sessions her boys held. That would be the first thing she did when she got to her office. She would put it at the top of the list. This was getting pretty damn ridiculous. She could almost hear the laughter that must be filling the tiny watering hole that her friends loved to go to. She could practically picture the large pout that would be on his face when she finally did make it to wish him happy birthday. But she knew he would never hold it against her.

He was good like that but that did not keep the guilt from settling in her stomach. She pushed her legs to the spot where the source of light, maybe it was a bolt of lightning, had fallen. It was a hunch. Maybe it would be nothing. Maybe she was just being paranoid. But she could have sworn that she saw something-or rather someone- falling from the sky.

It had been a speck of color that had followed the white. She had seen it hurl downwards. Head first and that was what had made her push rhyme and reason out the window. Someone needed her. And that took priority above all else. She had taken an oath to heal, to help, to mend. And Sakura did not take the oath lightly. The oath was what she lived her life by. It was her nindo. It was what she prided herself on. What kind of hypocritical person would she be to turn her back on someone now?

Now the initial shock and adrenaline were beginning to wane. Now her brain was kicking it into overdrive trying to justify why it would not be all bad if she just took a second to assess the situation. To figure out and analyze what she definitively saw and what she may have thought she saw. At this moment in time she was beginning to overthink the whole thing to death.

The more she reran it through her head the more she began to doubt herself. People did not fall from the sky. But here she was, chasing it.

It was the medic in her telling her to move faster than her body could handle. It was the medic in her screaming at her that she needed to help who ever had fallen. She was chasing the idea of it. The person had fallen over six thousand feet. They would need her.

'_I'm sorry Naruto. You'll have to bit a little longer.' _She sent out a silent apology to her best friend. He would understand. Even when her other friends did not he did. He always had her back. He never got tired of defending her. He would always forgive her even if she did not deserve to be forgiven.

Part of her could not help but wonder if she had made the whole thing up as an act of desperation to escape the first get together with her friends since her…she shook her head. She refused to give into 'what-if's'. She had a hunch and she was going to see in through. What was another fifteen minutes? She was so close anyway. It would be a mistake to turn back now.

She pushed herself harder when she saw the clearing. She nearly cried out in relief. She did not know how much longer she could have sustained her frantic pace. She had been running like a mad man was chasing her. The crunching branches and the hollowing winds did not register in her ears. The blood was pounding too loudly in them for her to hear anything other than the beating of her own heart. Sakura came to an abrupt stop. She kicked up dirt and dust as she did so. Her heart froze. "Kami," she muttered in horrified awe. She lifted her head as much as she could.

She could clearly see every branch he hit on his way down. The broken branches left no delusions for her now. This was real. This was very much real. She could see every splinter that had met him with what had to be painful resistance. Her hand came to cover her mouth. Her eyes were wide. Her brain had completely shut off.

He was lying face down, unmoving. He was laying a pool of his own blood. Or rather, it could have been an ocean. He had a gaping hole that allowed her to completely see through him. But that was not what caused her blood to freeze inside her veins. His cloak, his iconic, unforgettable, unmistakable cloak it told her all she needed to know about his identity. _'Kami.' _

Just what had she stumbled upon?

She continued to take in his broken form from a distance. Her wide, unbelieving eyes kept blinking but the image before her never changed. Time got away from her. She did not know how long she stood staring at him as if she was made completely of marble. She was a statue incapable of movement, speech. She was incapable of thought.

He moaned. The sound startled her out of her shocked state. Sakura the kunoichi was pushed back and Sakura the medic took over. She knelt over him. From a cursory glance she deducted that he had a broken arm, he had a deep laceration on his temple but what was her major concern was the gaping hole in his back and chest. She could literally put her arm right through him.

She brought her steady hand to his neck. His skin was even colder than her freezing hand. She concentrated on finding his pulse. It was faint but it was there. He was still alive and that she could work with. She knew how to fix people that were living. It was something that she was comfortable with.

Sakura leaned back on her ankles. She needed a plan. She needed to clear her head. Sakura ran her fingers though her hair before securing her shoulder length strands in a high ponytail. She did not distractions. Even the slightest thing could spell the end for her patient. She reached into her small evening wear purse and pulled on her gloves. It was times that this that she was thankful that Tsunade had drilled it into her that she needed to always be prepared. Medical emergencies could happen anywhere and everywhere and Sakura could not afford to be caught off guard and ill prepared.

Her first goal was to stop the bleeding. He had lost a significant amount of blood and is she did not stop more from leaving him then he was as good a gone. She did not have time to turn him over. She had to heal what she could, while she could. She would need help but she recognized that it would have to come later. She began with the first task on her mental checklist. Reducing the blood loss was of the upmost priority.

The medic exhaled sharply through her nose before repositioning herself so that she was hovering over him. Her knees and the hem of her skirt were both being coated in his thick, sticky blood but she did not have the luxury to worry about it. She brought her hands to the center of his back. The flickered green and immediately began to repair the damaged tissue of his body. She salved what she could otherwise, she removed the blackened skin.

Whatever had punctured him, and she had a pretty damn good idea of just what, had almost completely shredded his liver and some of his stomach. Her task went from stopping his blood flow to making sure that his stomach contents did not spill out of the hole and completely corrode his other organs.

"Damn it." She exclaimed in frustration. The longer she worked on him, the longer she tried to heal him, a new problem arose. He was touch and go. But she would be damned if she gave up on him now. She needed help and she needed it now. She needed someone she could trust. The issue was that in order for her to call help she needed something to keep everything where it was.

She pulled off her blouse. The mesh undershirt she was wearing did not protect her from the chilling winds but the adrenaline coursing through her kept her from feeling the cold. Sakura ripped the red, silk fabric into ribbons. Sakura packed the cavity of his wound the best she could with what she had. It was far from the ideal option especially when considering it was not sanitized, but it was his best bet. _'Beggars can't be choosers, Hokage-sama.'_ She refrained from saying her thoughts out loud in favor of focusing on what she had to do next.

Sakura did not waste any time, seeing that her patient did not have the slightest to spare. The medic ripped off her gloves with her teeth. With one swift motion she bit into her thumb and wiped it across her forearm. She quickly made the seals she needed.

It did not take long for her summon to reach her. She did not even give the human-sized slug a moment to greet her. "I need you to transfer him and me to the hospital. Make sure that no one sees you. Understood?" Her jade eyes flashed with seriousness. Sakura did not give her summon chance t to respond because she was already back to straddling her patient. Patching up his stomach could not wait.

The only thing working for her was Naruto's popularity. Nearly the whole village would be out to celebrate with the war hero and that means that the hospital would be a near ghost town. And that was the best thing that had happened to her all day. Katsuyu would be able to teleport them to a secluded operating room without anyone being the wiser for it.

The blue stripped slug did just as she was told. "Katsuyu, I need you to keep pumping him with chakra as I work, okay?" Again the slug merely nodded its large head. Her beady eyes never left the face of the man's. In the lighting everything was muted and his hair was matted with blood and dirty but both females knew precisely what color his hair was.

"Sakura-chan," Katsuyu began in a concerned tone. Sakura shot her a warning look. The woman carefully flipped him onto his back with the slug's help. The summon dropped the rest of her sentence as set about her work. She was in the process of absorbing them when he moaned again.

Sakura allowed herself to look at his face. His eyes were closed and he looked like he was in a great deal of pain and he was. "Katsuyu-sama, please hurry." The desperation managed to creep into Sakura's voice. The adrenaline had completely receded. The severity of the situation was finally settling on her. She could not let him die. He had come a long way and she could not fail him now.

Katsuyu hummed in agreement. Sakura waited as the world around her was slowly receding. The familiar feeling of Katsuyu's skin covered them. He would be safe with her. Transporting him in her summon was the best and only option. They almost completely engulfed.

Sakura looked at him as he moaned. His eyes were open. She gawked back at him with wide eyes and agape mouth. It was nothing short of a miracle that her hands were still doing their best to keep him stable until she could get more blood into him. "N-naruto." He croaked through raw lips.

It took everything from her to not scream in terror. His eyes, his eyes were as blue as his son's. He had Naruto's eyes. She was not ready for this. She had not prepared herself with this. He should not be conscious. His body should have been in shock. Why was he talking? Why was he moving? Why was he looking at her?!

Her brain stopped working again. She was elbow deep in his guts but all she could think about where how his eyes were the same color as his son's. That just made it too much for her to handle at the moment. She did not even have enough sense to tell him not to speak. She was too captivated by just how bizarre this whole thing was.

She was looking at Namikaze Minato. She was elbows deep in Minato's guts. He was looking at her. It was simply too much for her brain to handle. He was supposed to be dead. He was supposed to have died saving the village. He was supposed to have died for the price of sealing the kyuubi in Naruto.

She looked at him, really looked at him. His face, his face was smooth and youthful. He could not be much older than his son. He could not be much older than her. Panic surged in her as she realized that his eyes were rolling back in his head. Out of instinct she caught the back of his head before it hit the chambers of Katsuyu's body.

She spoke before she could stop herself. She grabbed either side of his head and spoke directly to him. "You can't die on me. You can't die, Yondaime. I won't let you." She barked at him. She was certain that he could not hear her but she needed to hear it. "You can't die on me. Don't you dare die on me!"

Sakura watched with a sinking feeling as the familiar sensation of her summon retreating overcame her. The world around her was stark white. They were in the hospital. Katsuyu had done her part and now it was Sakura's turn to do her job. "You can't die. I can't let you." She repeated under her breath. It became her mantra, her battle cry, her everything.

"You can't die. Not today." She said firmly as she carefully got off of him. Her summon had enough sense to move herself to the operating table before disappearing. It saved Sakura the trouble of having to lift a man who weighed more than her which usually would not be a difficult task for her but he was heavily injured. The less she jarred him the better it would be. She ripped away at the navy blue shirt that was being held together by a thread.

Sakura did not waste any time to attach a bag of blood to his arm. He needed more to go in his bloodstream and less to go out. It was only by sheer luck that she knew what his blood type was. Years ago she had spent an afternoon reading all that she could about the Hokages from the library that Tsunade gave her access too. That place was a gold mine. It even had each of the Hokage's medical records. And thanks to her photographic memory she remembered and that very much could be the thing that saved his life.

Sakura squared her shoulders and set her face in a grim line. It would be a long night. She would miss all of Naruto's birth celebration. But she did not have time to worry about something that she could not control. She had to worry about what she could.

Like for instance, saving the life of the greatest Hokage that ever lived.

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Okay, it's been a while. Tell me what y'all are thinking okay? Thank you!


	2. Sealed Lips

**Warning Contains: Blood, gore and spoilers **

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. **

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Dearest Readers,

I'd like to start by thanking each and everyone of your who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed. Thank you!I'm glad that you all seem to be enjoying what I have so far. That really makes me happy.

So this chapter picks up where the last one left off. Another dynamic is introduced and I hope you enjoy. That's really all I have to say so I'll let you get on with the story.

~L.H.

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**Chapter Two : Sealed Lips**

She slid against the wall until she was seated. Her world was spinning. She pressed the bridge of nose and squeezed her eyes shut tight. A wave of nausea passed. The brief concern of coming down with something crossed her mind but she did not entertain it for long. Her slight discomfort was not her most pressing issue at the moment. _'If only,_' she thought humorously to herself. It was times like these she missed Inner-Sakura. The loud, abrasive, and downright rude voice in her head made her feel slightly less alone. And she could use an ally at the moment.

But that was not in the cards for her. Not today, at least. She could not remember the last instance that she had been so spent, so tired, so done. Sakura tiled her head back to look at the clock. It was distorted from her vantage point but the thin wood lining the glass let her just make out the position of the hands. She had spent the past nine hours standing on her feet stabilizing her patient. She was not emotionally ready to call him by his name or his title. It was just easier to pretend that he was just any other shinobi that she had to treat.

It was easier to make things simple in her head. It was so much nicer to fantasize about a non-complicated scenario in which she would tell her patient how lucky he was, that he would make a full recovery and send him on his way, in a few days' time. But that was all a dream, a yearning, a pathetic wish. She could pretend all she wanted that he was just another comrade, just another shinobi of Kobnoha.

But he was not. He was so much more than just another face. He was Konoha's Yellow Flash, the Forth Hokage, Naruto's father. He was the beloved prodigal son. He was the best thing that this village had since Naruto. He was this village's Yondaime. Sakura brought her knees to her chest. She clasped her arms around them. Jade eyes watched each rise and fall of his chest. Her vision was starting to fade in and out but she fought it back.

She fought it all back. The soreness, the tiredness, the exhaustion, the emotional turmoil, she fought it all back. Sakura sighed deeply. She completely missed her chance to wish Naruto a happy birthday. It was just another wrong to add to the already large list. She had wronged him so many times so a part of her wondered why adding yet another disappoint was such a big deal. He was probably used to not having any expectations from her again.

But if this worked out as well as she hoped, she had succeeded in giving Naruto a birthday present to remember. But she was sure to not be too hopeful. It was hard to disappointed if your standards were low enough.

Sakura closed her eyes. She was careful to train an ear to the slumbering man's breathing pattern. If there was any indication that he was having trouble breathing on his own she would be ready to act. This scenario was startling familiar. It reminded her of the time that she held Naruto's heart in her hand. Never had she been so terrified, so scared but also so focused, so determined to not let her best friend die in her hands. It had been the most horrifying moments of her life. But she had managed to keep him alive long enough for Obito to help him. Everything had worked out for the best then and maybe that would be the case this time around as well.

Sakura rubbed the back of her neck. It was a small miracle that Naruto had not come barging on the door of her office demanding that she give him a minute of her time. That had Tsunade's name written all over it. Sakura has made sure to give Katsuyu specific instructions to relay to the princess the severity of the situation. Sakura had also ensured to tell her summon that she needed at least ten hours before the Hokage could come see the Yondaime for her own eyes. She did not give the slug any specifics but she figured that her mentor trusted her enough to honor her request. It was a gamble and it would appear that her luck was better than the blonde woman's.

It was because of Tsunade that Naruto was not in her hair. She did not know what the last surviving sannin had done to keep him from hunting her down but she figured that she did not need to know the details. Her brain could only handle so much and right now it still refused to accept the fact that a man, who should be long dead, was breathing right in front of her.

Sakura pulled her hair out of her ponytail. She ran her fingers through the knotted strands. Her movements were sluggish and her face was blank. Her eyes were dull from the amount of energy that she had just expanded on the multiple surgeries she had just single-handedly preformed. She was all out of chakra. She rubbed her forehead. The medic had no doubt that the seal was the only thing keeping her conscious at this point. She was borrowing from her reserves, just enough to keep her going.

The ticking clock was the only sound in the room. She had another half hour before Tsunade would demand an explanation. Sakura sighed again. She looked down at herself. She has managed to secure scrubs so she was no longer half naked but her current predicament was not much better. She was caked in his blood. It was a reminder. A reminder of just how close he had been to bleeding out in her arms. It had been so bad at one point Sakura had to actually physically lay on him and apply the pressure of all her body weight to keep the blood from leaving him so rapidly. She had been a human tourniquet. It was the first time she had been forced to use her person in that manner.

It had been unorthodox but this whole situation did not have a precedent as far as she was concerned. None of this was really sinking in with her. She used her nail to peel a patch of dry blood from her neck. It was all over her. He was all over her. In her hair, on her skin, soaked in her clothes, he was everywhere. And it was making it rather difficult to ignore.

The browning crimson was hardened on her front, forearms, parts of her neck, and she still had not gotten around to cleaning her knees. With a defeated sigh the medic used the wall to help her to a standing position. She moved slowly to the row of sinks lining an adjacent room. The glass panels allowed her to see a mop of brown hair. And most importantly, the rise and fall of his chest- he would not die on her watch. He would not die if she could help it.

Being up close to him, close enough to feel the limpness of him appendages, did not help with the notion that he was just any other patient. Even in the frenzy that been saving his life, she could not help but notice the similarities between the man before her and the only living member of his kin. They looked alike but she had managed to pick out the differences, the differences that could only mean Naruto got those particular features from his mother.

Would she be back too? Sakura shook her head to clear it of hypotheticals. They had recovered Kushina's body. That much she did know from at least two different sources. Tsunade, even though her mentor was not there at the scene Sakura trusted her when the blonde said that Kushina's body was definitely there, and she had accidentally overheard the Third discussing the matter with Jiraiya years after the tragedy. In hindsight, Sakura knew that it was no mere coincidence that she had been able to listen to the whole conversation as merely a genin. There was no doubt in her mind that both men were well aware of her presence at the time. Why they trusted her enough to hear what they were saying was still beyond her. If she was completely honest with herself, most of the conversation was over her head at the stage of her life. But more and more of it was beginning to make sense.

They never found Minato's body. And now she knew why. He never died. Years of speculation, years of conspiracy theories, she had heard them all. Everyone from the generation before her had an opinion and they were usually more than happy to share it with anyone with the rank of Jonin or higher. The theories she had heard ranged from convoluted to somewhat plausible. But she now knew better. None of them were right. None of them were close to being right. There was no body because he was still alive, twenty-five years into the future, he was still alive.

She had more questions than answers. The details were unclear to her. She did not even know if he would be in the right state of mind when he woke. Would he be able to understand her? Would he be able to handle what they had to tell him? Would he ever be the same? She had no definitive way of knowing just how much damage his brain had sustained from the fall. That could only be assessed once he was awake and conscious.

Sakura could not even begin to predict just how much of his previous function the man would be able to retain. Would he remember his past? His justu, could he still mold chakra? Was his career as a shinobi over? Her biggest fear was that there would be nothing once he finally did open his eyes. How horrific would it be for him to have minimal to no brain function? She tried not to think about it too much but the doubt was there. The doubt would not leave the back of her mind. The doubt that she had saved a man that given the circumstances did not want to be saved.

Her footsteps sounded heavy even to her own ears. Everything sounded off to her, like she was hearing from underwater. Sakura peered at the tap. It was not leaking but the sure sound of droplets of water rippling was playing in her ears. It was the only clear, unmistakable sound that she registered. But she could not for the life of her figure out where it was coming from. She was hearing things now. She was certain of it because she had made damn sure to check the knobs of every tap and they were as tight as could be.

But the dripping did not stop. If anything, it got louder and more prominent. Sakura rubbed her face and let out a low groan. She was tired. There was no mistaking it. She was going through chakra drain, and sleep deprivation, and probably even early stages of starvation all at once. And her body was reacting by hearing things. She gripped the sink with both her hands. She stared through the glass at him.

It put everything in perspective. It reminded her why she was putting herself through all this. It was for the chance, for the possibility of everything working out. It was for the opportunity for Naruto and the man to have a happy ending, to be a family again, to be what they always wanted. For them she would go through it all ten times over.

She splashed cool water on her face. She instantly felt more alert and less disgusting. She ran her hands through the water before moving her fingers in her hair. She felt decidedly better with just these two acts. The medic dried her hands on the front of her tunic. She took a deep breath before returning her eyes to the operating room.

Sakura could see the clock better from here. It took a moment for her brain to register what her eyes were seeing. It was three in the morning. No one would be at the hospital for another two hours at least. She took a deep breath and continued about washing as much of his blood off of her person as she could.

The clock kept ticking loudly in her ears. Tsunade would be here in less than fifteen minutes. And she did not even know what to say to her.

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She arrived in ten.

Her almond eyes stared at the man sleeping on the operating table in confusion but Sakura saw the glimmer of relief in them. The sannin spun on her heal sharply to pin Sakura with demanding gaze. The pinkette kicked off the wall. Tsunade searched the stress lines of Sakura's face. The woman looked as if she had not slept soundly in days. If Sakura thought her life was bad before then the pinkette had a rather eye opening experience heading her way.

Tsunade followed Sakura's lead and turned her attention to the slumbering brunette. His face was not one she recognized. His jaw was less defined, his cheek bones were not as high, and his hair, apart from being the wrong color, was much shorter than she remembered. This was not a face from her past. The person that was on the operating table was a nobody. He meant nothing to her.

Realization dawned on Tsunade. She had let her emotions get the best of her. Ever since Katsuyu had told her that someone she remembered was in the village a weight had settled on the Fifth's chest. She had almost barged into the hospital the moment the slug had relayed her message. But reason had kicked in the longer she waited.

She trusted Sakura. She trusted that the pinkette knew what she was doing. But now as the time had neared the anxiety was back. It was finally time to stop obsessing over the possibility of just who was back. The time had come to know definitively who was hiding behind the face of an unknown. She caught movement from the corner of her eye. The amber orbs narrowed in annoyance.

Tsunade caught Sakura's wrist midair. The Haruno merely blinked slowly. The sannin's mouth pinched into a frown. Her sharp eyes regarded the hollow look on her former students' face. "You don't have any chakra to spare, let me do it." She had tried to keep the edge from her voice but she failed. Her tone had been harsh, crippling even.

Tsunade did not feel too guilty though. Sakura was too far in her own head for the pinkette to get her feelings hurt. The younger simply shrugged back against the wall that was most likely keeping her propped up. The sannin watched over her shoulder until she was certain that Sakura would not fall flat on her face.

The concern for the medic was quickly replaced by her need to know who had made Katsuyu look so spooked. The summon had looked like she had seen a ghost. And Tsunade needed to know exactly who that ghost was. She slowly and carefully made the three seals necessary to cast the illusion away. She gathered her courage and resolve, Kami knows that she needed all of it. The slug princess brought her index and middle fingers to the forehead of the ordinary face.

The blonde pumped a fraction of chakra to disrupt the genjutsu transformation technique that Sakura had placed on the man. It was a variation of her very own technique that kept the princess looking so youthful. Only a handful would know how to break the jutsu and even fewer would be able to see through it. Even the ocular kekkei genkai would be fooled. Warmth spread through her. It did not surprise her that Sakura was able to cast such a jutsu and as cleanly as she had. But it was short lived. Her stomach twisted in a knot when the reality of the situation hit her once again. The Hokage held her breathe as the face before he morphed.

She would get her answer soon enough. Question was, was she ready for it?

The brunette whips of hair elongated and lightened in color until they were as yellow as Naruto's. The muted features of an average looking man turned into someone who certainly was anything but average, he was handsome, someone who should be long dead. Tsunade took a sharp breath. "Kami," she let out a sharp breath.

The blonde brought a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was erratic underneath it. She chanced a look at the man. He was back to a nondescript brunette. If she did not know any better what she had just witnessed was nothing but a result of an overactive imagination acting out due to her tiredness. But she knew better. She knew better than to hope for silly explanations. She was beginning to see him, underneath it all, she was beginning to see through it. "Does," she did not even have the bearings to finish her question.

"No," was her former student's curt reply. Tsunade stared at the hard eyes of Sakura with fear in her own almond orbs. "No one other than us knows. It's him Tsunade. It's definitely him." Sakura said with more certainty than she felt. Her hooded jade eyes darted from the brunette's visage to Tsuande's shaken form. It was clear to Tsunade that Sakura saw through it well. She saw blonde, where everyone else saw brown. She saw his face, his true face, while others saw a stranger. Sakura saw him for who he was, not for who he was going to be made to be.

The blonde looked close to hyperventilating. Sakura made a motion to offer her contact but Tsunade brushed her away. She turned back to face him. Just what had she walked into? "Move him to the west wing of the hospital. No one goes in or out of his room other than me or you."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement with the blonde's plan. It was as good as any. The west wing hardly saw traffic. It could easily be secluded from the rest of the hospital. Tsuande gripped the pink haired woman's shoulders. Sakura almost winced. Tsunade was applying more pressure than strictly necessary. The woman's nails were digging into the skin of her shoulder. "You will not breathe a word of this to anyone, _anyone." _She slightly shook the Haruno in her state. "You hear me?! No one can know, no one can know." The blonde repeated as she bit the inside of her thumb nail.

She was struggling to compose herself. Sakura watched with solemn eyes as Tsunade pinched the bride of her nose. It was a trait they shared. "How long can we keep this quiet?" Sakura asked her mentor in a calm manner. Someone needed to be the anchor. Minato was Jiraiya's favorite so it was not hard for Sakura to believe that Tsuande was fond of him in her own right. Everyone loved Minato. He was by far the most popular figure in the village. If the villagers ever knew about his identity there would be hell to pay. Everything would be in chaos. He came back from the dead. Who else was going to follow him? Orohimaru? Pein? Madara?

"As long as we need to," Tsunade said with conviction. Sakura nodded her head in agreement. Really, what else could she do? "Move him as soon as you can. You will not be seeing any other patients for the next few days while I get to the bottom of this." Sakura remained quiet as her Hokage paced back in forth in the small room. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a pair of intense amber eyes was boring into hers. "Do you have a blood sample?" Her sharp voice cracked through the silence like a whip.

_'If you only knew the half of if,' _a bitter voice rang out in her head. She must have washed off a significant amount of his blood from her person and Tsunade was asking her if she had a moment to gather a blood sample? The floors had been washed red. Sakura had spent the last ten minutes cleaning the floors and Tsunade wanted to know if she had enough of his blood? She had seen enough blood in the last few hours to last a lifetime.

But she remained silent. No matter how much she wanted to cry and throw a tantrum she did not. It was not her place, not her right, and the situation did not call for that. Besides she was too tired to do anything but act as directed. She could handle menial tasks. That was all she could handle at the moment. Sakura reached into the pants pocket of her scrubs. She pulled out a small, crimson colored, glass vile. Tsunade gave it a long hard look before it disappeared into her robes. "What about Naruto?" Sakura's voice cracked slightly at the end. Her question seemed to cause the Hokage pause.

"I'll send him, Sasuke, and Kakashi on a mission for a few days. A week if we're lucky. It should by us enough time to run the DNA test and figure out what to do with," Tsunade's eyes fell on his face. She swallowed loudly. "Him," she said in a voice thick with emotion. "I'll be running the test myself. The less people we can get involved on this the better." Tsunade stated answering Sakura's silent question.

The Haruno watched in silence as the Hokage took five measured steps to the door. The blonde paused her determined stride at the door. She turned to look at Sakura dead in the eye. "I'm trusting that you'll take all the precautions that you need." Again the pinkette numbly nodded her head. Tsunade's eyes softened. "Whatever this is kiddo, however he got here, we need answers. We need answers for him and ourselves."

She was gone. Just like that the door clicked close behind her. Sakura took another deep breath. She spared him a long look. He was back. She had her suspicions but Tsunade had all but confirmed it. The blood sample was more for show than actual evidence. Tsunade's face said it all. The Yondaime was back. And she had no idea what she would tell him when he woke up.

Why was she always getting herself into situations like these?

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Please take a moment to review. Thanks in advance! :)


	3. Ripped Sutures

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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**Warning Contains: Spoilers, and blood. **

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Hello Everyone!

I can not thank you all enough for taking the time out of your lives to read and review the words I have thrown together on a page. But I can at least try, so thank you. :)

I would like to begin this note by addressing some concerns. Sakura and Minato will have their moments. There will be romance but that it not the main focus of this story. This fic is a bit darker than _Kunoichi's Burden _because it explores loss from a different perspective. I feel like this plot and story has more internal conflicts than my last work. So it's important to keep in mind that while there is love in this story it is not a love story.

I want to thank you for your patience with my updates. They are not going to come as often and regularly as my weekly updates for _Kunoichi's Burden_ because I am writing this story as I am posting it. It is a change a tactic and hopefully the updates will be up to your standards. So I'm not going to take up anymore of your time with this. Please enjoy!

~L.H.

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**Chapter Three: Ripped Sutures**

He blinked his eyes open slowly.

His eyelids were heavier than he last remembered. And everything was throbbing slightly. His head was foggy beyond comprehension. Everything seemed surreal. But given the night that he had just had he figured that he was allowed to be a bit disoriented. His eyes were registering colors but anything beyond that was simply too much to hope for given his condition.

A groan rested on his chest. Getting it through his throat proved too much to handle. He was in pain but he could not isolate it to one place, to one section of his body. It was everywhere. Parts began to flare up as he mentally prepared his appendages for movement. Even thinking hurt. He felt raw and broken. It was almost as if someone had torn him from limb to limb and had haphazardly put him back together again, with little to no thought.

With each passing second more and more of his senses seem to waken, to come to grips with reality. His vision was the first thing to return. His hearing was not far behind. The sound of dripping water reached his ears. His eyes focused on his surroundings. It took him even longer to realize just what he was looking at. His breath hitched in his throat. His chest burned from the sudden lack of oxygen.

A single, large, round, red iris glowered at him. It was massive. Its sheer size threatened to swallow him whole. It was all he could see. It was all that was coming into focus. It brought an onslaught of unwanted and unwelcomed memories that left his knees weak and skin clammy.

The crimson blinked, slowly. It was a less than subtle reminder that the owner of the eye was alive.

If he were a lesser man he would have taking a step backwards but he was frozen in place. The scarlet orb was mesmerizing. It was extraordinary in both beauty and destruction. Only a seal, the very seal he himself had created, separated him at the beast. The same beast that was yearning for his blood to be spilt, to turn the water that circulated around his ankles the putrid color of blood, the same beast that was so close to destroying everything Minato ever loved. He had come dangerously close.

The red was accompanied by a row of razor sharp teeth, he realized once he tore his eye away from the fox's. They glistened in the darkness. It was disturbing. All he could see was a red eye and a mouth full of ivory bone. The Yondaime continued to stare at the surprisingly calm beast. He seemed disinterested by Minato's presence almost as if the kyuubi could not be bothered. It was so very different from their last encounter. Back then the fox was bellowing into the skies for Minato's head. It had promised nothing short of a slow and painful death. It was a promise that Minato was sure that the beast had delivered on.

Minato furrowed his brow. The last thing he remembered was that he managed to seal a part of the kyuubi in his newborn while sealing the rest in himself. The blonde closed his eyes. He could still picture it, smell it, feel it. The smell of death had been in the air, on his skins, deep in his bones. Blood had mixed with the odor of burning flames.

Fire.

His village, his home, his world had been on fire. The greenery around them, the same greenery that made Konoha famous, was chard to a crisp. Only obsidian soot remained behind in place of the once massive trees that almost touched the end of the heavens above.

The fire was not all that he remembered. He remembered her tears, her labored breaths, her screams. He remembered all of it. Their last moments were seared into his brain forever. With each blink he recalled her face, the face of their son, and the demon's. That night was part of him and would follow him as long as his conscious remained intact.

At the memory of his wife something stirred up in him. Kushina, Minato's throat formed a lump. She was gone. He had seen the light, the life, leave from her eyes. The extent of her injuries was just too great for even her to have any chance at survival. She was gone. Naruto had lost his mother before he even had the chance to get to know her. His heart clenched. She would have been great.

His son was alone in the world. He would have nothing but an impossibly hard life before him. And there was nothing Minato could do about it. The only thing that provided him with a shred of comfort was that he had found a way to seal some of Kushina's chakra in Naruto. The boy would be reunited with his mother at one point.

But would that be enough? Would it be enough for either of them? It was just a moment, one moment for mother and son to meet, to talk, to get to know each other. It was a consolation prize. It was nothing more than pity. Minato felt tears forming behind his closed eyelids. Sealing the kyuubi and leaving his son an orphan was the hardest thing he had ever done in his life.

Was he being selfish? Would Naruto understand just how much the decision weighed down on his father as he made it? Or would Naruto hate him? The idea of his son, his only son, hating him caused Minato's breathing to become erratic. He was finding it difficult to breathe. Air was moving in and out of his lungs but he could not _breathe_. His heart pulsed painfully in his chest. He was mourning the loss of his world.

The Yondaime brought both his hands to clutch the fabric over his heart. His world was spinning. He lost his wife, the love of his life, his village, and an opportunity to be a father all in one moment. Maybe it was karma. How many had he left fatherless during the Third War? How many lives did he uproot? How many people's worlds stopped spinning because he killed off a loved one? Was this his punishment for all the blood he had drawn?

The pressure became too much. The Namikaze sank to his knees. The bottom of his cloak became weighed down by the water. Ripples shot in every direction around him. He was hyperventilating. In his distressed state he did not know that the demon had sifted. He did not even notice that now both his eyes were in sight.

Minato did not even register the sneer on the fox's mouth. "Pathetic," his deep, raspy voice vibrated off the walls of the cell. The blonde raised his solemn eyes to meet the jeer of the kyuubi. "I give you another chance and you lie before me sobbing like a blundering idiot!" The fox rose to his full high, or as much as the cage would allow. He was menacing, intimidating, terrifying to the core. Even Minato has enough sense to note that. The tip of his black nose was pressed up against the bars of the cage.

A pair of cobalt eyes blinked in confusion. The beginnings of a frown formed on Minato's lips. The tears had dried up for a moment giving him a chance to clear his head. "What did you say?" The evenness in his voice was a surprise considering that he had just been "sobbing like a blundering idiot," seconds ago.

A cruel grin stretched the kyuubi's muzzle. "You're not dead, Namikaze. Not yet anyway." Before Minato could react, a blinding light filled the space. The Yondaime was forced to shield his eyes. His stomach burned, it burned more than it did at any point of his life. It burned beyond words. His hands instinctively went to put pressure on the wound only to find there was no blood. It was eternal. He was burning from the inside out.

Minato threw his head back and let out a pain shout. The sound was drowned by the cackling laughter of the nine tails. His world washed black once again.

* * *

His body convulsed, violently.

Sakura quickly shot to her feet and checked his vitals. His body was covered in sweat and his face was contorted into a look of sheer agony. She mentally crossed off an infection from her metal checklist. This was something worse. This was something so much worse.

A brief panic surged through her. Would she be able to help him? She quickly pushed it aside with a definitive shake of her head. He needed her. He could not afford to have his medic doubt her abilities now. They had come so far so failure was not an option. Sakura's eyes flickered from his clenched face to sporadic jerks of his body.

His teeth were locked together so Sakura had difficulty prying them open. Her fingers fumbled slightly as she worked. She shone a small light at the back of his throat. She did not see any blockage obstructing his air pathways so that was another thing she could check off. He was getting worse.

He was seizing yet he was not. It was unlike any seizure that she had ever seen before. He seemed to be in control of at least some of his motor functions. She was starting to panic in earnest now. She did not know what was wrong with him. Sakura lifted the hospital gown from his stomach. The bandages around his abdomen were starting to bleed sluggishly. The blood seeped through the white.

He was tearing his stitches. Sakura gritted her teeth together. He was moving more and more and she could not call help to restrain him. But she also could not let him keep going at the pace that he was. His body could not afford any more trauma.

Thinking would only get in her way now. She needed to act so she did. Sakura grabbed both sides of his face and steadied his head. Her arms were flexed from the strain. "Yondaime-sama I need you to look at me." She pleaded with him. His eyes remained squeezed shut. Sakura quickly glanced over her shoulder to see the scarlet patch grow larger in the otherwise stark white bandages.

"Minato!" She barked at him with a voice that she herself did not recognize. Tsunade had often informed her that patients responded better to treatment if they heard their name. And she was quickly running out of options so formality was the first thing to go. Her eyes glittered with determination. The sound of his name seemed to do something to him. His oh-so-blue eyes snapped open and locked on hers. She nearly cried out in relief. "I need you to look at me. I need you to look at me and stay calm. Can you do that, Minato?" His eyes searched her face. She saw the desperation in them. He was scared and so was she. She was trying to be brave and provide him with comfort but he detected the fear in her eyes.

For a horrifying second she thought that he would lose consciousness and go back to hurting himself. She watched as the light in eyes dimmed. "Damn it Minato!" She tightened her grip on his face. Her fingers secured deeper in his hair. She brought her face closer to his so that he was forced to look at her. "Stay awake. Stay with me, for Naruto!" It came out before she could catch herself.

At the mention of his son's name his eyes seemed to become more alert. Sakura turned to look at his torso. He was no longer seizing and the bleeding was slowing down. "Good," she exhaled slowly. But it was too early to completely relax yet. "I need you to lie perfectly still while I take care of you." She said in a gentle voice but her eyes left little to no room for argument.

She could feel the weight of his gaze as she worked to unwrap the bandages from his midsection. Her motions were fast and deliberate so she would not cause him anymore discomfort than strictly necessary. Sakura discarded the soiled bandages and brought her hands to the source of the bleeding. Minato sharply inhaled a breath when her cold hands came in contact with his hot flesh. "Sorry," Sakura muttered under her breath. It was an automatic apology that came from years of treating people in pain.

The longer she worked the more and more it all began to dawn on her. She suddenly found herself unable to look at him. Her eyes trained stubbornly to his midsection. She had just yelled at a living legend. Sakura cursed inwardly as she felt her face flush as she thought about what her treacherous mouth had just uttered. Sometimes she wondered if her vocal cords and her brain were even connected. What possessed her to address him in such a way she did not even know. His eyes bore into hers. His sharp gaze caused her skin to prickle.

Minato studied her closely. Her lips were moving soundlessly as she worked. Her short, pink strands were keeping some of her face obscured from his sight. Her determined jade eyes were focused on his injuries and just his injuries. But that was not what captured his attention.

She knew Naruto. She knew his son. Maybe she was one of the doctors that treated him? Maybe she even knew were his son was? Minato searched his memories. He tried to place her. Her face was far from familiar. He watched her work. Clearly she was a medical-nin so that made her one of his shinobi. It was his job as Hokage to know everyone under his command. And yet he did not know her. Who was she? Was she new?

He licked his lips before clearing his throat. The simple gesture left him grimacing. Her jade eyes clashed with his cobalt eyes. They held something too conflicting for him to comprehend. "I wouldn't recommend speaking just yet." Her tone made it clear that her recommendation was more of an order. It was one that promised pain if not followed. And he had an inkling that she would not aid him if he chose to flat out defy her. Minato clutched his jaw. He definitely would have remembered such a head strong kunoichi and one with such unforgettable hair nonetheless.

His eyes wandered to the lilac seal on the center of her forehead. His brow furrowed. It was the same rhombus shape that Mito and Tsunade had. "There you're all set." She smiled at him tightly. Minato narrowed his eyes. Something about her reminded him of Tsunade. Maybe it was the abrasiveness? The way she bristled when her authority was challenged? Maybe it was the purposes with which she moved? She was familiar in some regards but completely foreign in everything else.

"Are you feeling anymore pain?" She asked him in a manner that implied that she already knew the answer. Before Minato could open his mouth she was already speaking again. "Blink once for yes and twice for no." She ordered him a flat tone. Her face was a mask of impassiveness. He had not been on the receiving end of that look for a while now. People tended to show him a bit more respect than what she was currently displaying.

Minato felt frustration grow in him. Why was she spending so much time worrying about his flesh wound when people were hurt? The kyuubi attack had left the village in shambles and surely she would have better things to do than to worry about the scratch on his abdomen. He made to get up but his movements were halted.

He jerked his head downwards. He raised his furious eyes to the face of the medic. His face was a mask of pure anger. His eyes were an as cold as ice. They pinned her with a look demanding that she explain why the Hokage was restrained in his own village. A low growl escaped his throat. If this was about the kyuubi being sealed him, he would explode. He was still their leader. They had no reason to lock him up like a caged animal. How quick were they to forget that he sacrificed everything for them?

Sakura took in his agitated state with sympathy in her eyes. If he continued to stress himself out she would have to sedate him. She understood where the anger and frustration was coming from. He was confused. As far as the blonde was concerned he should be dead. He was supposed to be dead. He was not supposed to be teleported to his village twenty-five years after what should have been his death day. But she could not tell him that of course. She was more than happy to save that job for Tsunade.

The nurturing side of her reached out and grabbed his hand. The sincerity in her eyes seemed to take some of the edge off of his. Sakura offered him a small smile. It was one that he did not return. She had long learned not to take anything personally anymore, at least not when it involved people in the hospital.

Her eyes were never reached by the gesture. Her smile felt forced on her face. It felt out of place to even her. "Yondaime-sama, I know you're confused. Believed me, I know." Her eyes moved from his face to the new bandages on his chest and then back to his face. "But it's not my place to tell you what is going on. But I can tell you this much, the village is fine. Naruto's fine." She squeezed his hand reassuringly. Part of her was waiting for him to last out. She held his hand with coiled muscles, ready to react at a moment's notice. He was regarded by many as a pseudo-jinchuurki and that was before he had a demon sealed in him. There was no telling just what he was capable of. _'A wounded animal is the most dangerous animal.'_ Her brain cautioned her. As a medic it was Sakura's responsibility to keep him calm. And so far it was looking good for her. She watched him carefully.

Minato stared back at her with a blank mask. He was hearing her words but was having a hard time registering them. Her tone was the only thing that was keeping him tranquil. So many questions were swimming around in his head but he did not have the strength in him to ask any one of them. He had a feeling that was mostly because he did not want to know the answers to most of them.

What happened to the village? What happened to Kushina? Did she somehow survive too? He did not want to get his hopes up only to have them crushed. He had so many questions but his brain could not handle or process the answers to any of them. The question that was now at the forefront of his mind was a damn good one. What is going on?

She was speaking again. He forced himself to listen to what she was saying even if he could only make sense of bits and pieces. "Someone will be here soon and they'll explain everything to you." She squeezed his hand once more before stepping back. "In the meantime I think that you should try to get as much rest as possible." She finished off in a gentle tone.

Her heart went out to him. He had given his all for the village. He had made his peace with dying alongside his wife. He had sacrificed himself for the village, for her, for their son. And now Tsunade would be the one to tell him that Kushina had died alone, that he had missed the first twenty-five years of his son's life, and that he, himself, had wandered into the future somehow.

She would have laughed had the circumstances not been so bleak and heartbreaking. The Hokage had been twenty-seven when he died. Strictly speaking, he was now only two years older than his son. Sakura slow sank into a chair facing him. She rubbed the seal on her forehead as the blonde relaxed back into his pillows. He was staring up at the ceiling with a fixated fascination. She could only imagine what was running through his head at the moment.

Maybe it was better that she did not know.

* * *

"But Baa-chan," Tsuande pinched her nose at whiney tone of Naruto's voice. Honestly he was supposed to be next in line for her position but it was times like these she wondered if that was such a good thing. Would she ever get to retire? Suddenly Minato's face flashed in her mind. Tsuande was quick to push it aside. There was only so much that she could juggle and her first priority was to get Naruto as far away from Konoha as possible, which was proving very hard to do at the moment.

_'Guess they don't call him Konoha's number one most unpredictable ninja for nothing.' _An amused voice that sounded suspiciously close to Jiraiya's rang in her head. It only amplified the growing migraine that she was currently nursing.

"No buts Naruto. The three of you are to leave immediately," she cracked open one eye to pin the pouting blonde with a serious look. "And immediately means now. It means no harassing my Head Medic. She's busy." Tsuande repeated irritably her stance for what had to be the third time.

She rested her chin on a bridge constructed out of her fingers. Sasuke looked bored and aloof. But she found his silence much welcomed over the tantrum his best friend was currently having. They complimented each other well she noted and not for the first time. Kakashi's face was forever buried in his book. Some things never changed. '_Except when they do,'_ she leaned back in her chair. She was just full of deep and profound thoughts today.

He would need to adjust. They would have to be patient with him. She had no idea what she would even say to him. "Baa-chan you're overworking her! I didn't see her all day yesterday," his cerulean eyes were filled with accusation. It took all her self-control to not throw him out of her office by his ears. She settled for visualizing herself doing so instead.

She chose to rise above Naruto's childish display. Her amber eyes locked on to Kakashi. He was finally looking at her with amusement dancing in his single eye. Tsunade opened her mouth to speak. "Sasuke and Naruto you are to wait for Kakashi at the gates within fifteen minutes. Don't be late." She narrowed her eyes in warning at the seething blonde. Her eyes seemed to say "defy me and kiss your dream goodbye."

Thankfully Naruto seemed to take the hint. It did not stop him from grumbling disgruntled things under his breath his whole way to his apartment, where he haphazardly threw a few essentials into a pack. Sasuke was much more polite in that he did not utter a single word. He was really starting to grow on Tsuande. He was less of a pain in the ass to deal with.

* * *

"You want to tell me what this is really about?" Kakashi asked Tsunade in an even tone. The Hokage took him in. His smut novel was nowhere to be found. So it turned out that Tsunade was not that apt at hiding things than she had originally given herself credit for.

Tsunade signed in defeated manner. She let the wariness show on her face. She could feel his eye focus on her even more. "Someone from Sakura's past has come back." Her sharp eyes did not miss the way Kakahi's shoulders seemed to straighten. He really was a good sensei. He cared about his students more than he let on.

"Is she alright?" He kept his voice the appropriate amount detached but Tsunade did not buy it one bit. The Hokage nodded her head. He would need more than she gave him. Kakashi made no move to leave and she was not going to dismiss him. That would only cause him to become more suspicious of what was really going on. She trusted Kakashi, she really did. But she did not want to tell him until she had too.

He was a damaged man. He had already made his peace with losing everyone from his squad. He paid his respects to Obito's and Rin's markers every chance he got. He honored his sensei by keeping his legacy safe. He come into his own and she did not want to see how having Minato suddenly around would change him. She could not protect Kakashi or Naruto, for that matter, forever but she could protect them for a little bit longer. And that was precisely what she would do. After all, they were her shinobi, her children. They were all she had left in his world.

"She just needs a few days to herself to adjust, a few days without Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai pestering her. She'll be fine. You taught her well." Tsuande smiled knowingly at Kakashi. The fastest way to get a man to do what you want them to do was to stroke their egos. And though Kakashi might be more evolved than the rest of them he was still a man in his fundamental core. She just had to be sneakier when she did it.

The Hatake rubbed the back of his head in a bashful manner. Tsuande could barely keep the smirk from her face. She hid it behind her fist as she coughed pointedly. "We taught her well, Godiame-sama. Well I better get going before Naruto finds his way to the hospital. Ja." Kakashi was gone a puff of smoke.

The grin slid off of Tsunade's face. She looked at the clock. She had another half hour before Shizune would be back from the pointless errands Tsunade had sent her out on. The blonde sighed deeply before rising to her feet. She had no idea what to tell him. How could she even prepare what to tell him?

She looked over her shoulder at the stone visages of Hokage Monument. Her eyes rested on his face. He was back. He really was back.

Whether Konoha was ready or not their greatest product had found his way back to them. And in her heart of hearts she hoped they were ready for him.

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Give me some insight to your thoughts, please!


	4. Harmless Musings

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

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**Warning Contains: Spoilers**

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Hello There,

It has been a while, eh?

Thank you for taking the time to read and review. You guys are amazing. It is such a joy to write for you all. :)

So today I'm presenting to you chapter four. I sincerely hope it was worth the wait.

So why don't you give it a try and let me know if liked it, or if you saw some room for improvement! Thanks in advance.

~L.H.

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**Chapter Four: Harmless Musings **

She sighed deeply.

She needed this more than he did. She used these precious few moments to clear her head. To push the horrible thoughts from her mind, to repress the fear back into the corner of her brain that it had escaped from. She used this time to gather herself. His even breathing was comforting in that it was a constant sound. It was the only constant, only stability in her life at the moment. And that was ironic in itself, being that he was the very reason why her world was suddenly thrown into uncertainty and now existed in the realm of the unpredictable.

But it was for that very reason she decided it was fitting that he was her anchor. He was keeping her from straying too far into her thoughts. He was ensuring that she did not get lost in her own head because she had to get back to him if he needed her, when he needed her. She still had a duty, a responsibility, to keep him alive and that was driving her to keep moving. As long as he breathed, she had purpose. She had a task, something to do while he was still alive. It was simple really. If he drew breath, she clung to sanity.

She slowly let her eyes roam the perimeter of the cramped quarters. She almost had the room memorized, right down to the careful placement of the lilies near the slightly cracked window. The mere presence of the flowers was ridiculous. He did not care either way. It was the same to him if they were there or not. The question was why did she care enough to put them there in the first place? Why did she go through all the effort to purchase them- from the only other flower shop in the village that was not run by the Yamanakas- in the early hours of the morning? Why did she risk leaving this room for five stems?

What little comfort could flowers ever hope to bring him? How could the white flowers succeed to brighten up the room? It was a small marvel that they simply did not wilt in the stifling air that surrounded them. Sakura clenched and unclenched her bent knees. It was constant struggle. To remain calm, to be the anchor that Tsunade needed. This was her escape. This was her sanctuary.

Here she did not have to think about the fallout that was to come. She was safe from judgment, consequences, and safe from the explanations that she would have to undoubtedly give to all her loved ones. Where was she? Did she not think that she owed them an update? She knew what they would say. Dealing with Ino would be the worst.

She signed again. Even if this place brought her some form of peace, she could not hide out here forever. Sakura was never given such luxuries in life.

The chair scrapped against the cold tiles loudly. It broke the still in the room. She found herself relived at the disturbance of the deafening silence. It was only a temporary thing but she was grateful for it all the same. She stood and without a word, she left the man.

She did not bother with a conventional greeting. She doubted that he would even notice her absence, or her presence for that matter.

* * *

The clicking of heels vibrated off the walls.

It was eerie how quiet the hallways were. The lack of noise, movement, _life, _only contributed to the rapidly tightening knot in the pit of her stomach. She needed to breathe. But again, that was only a short term solution. What she needed was a plan. She needed to understand just what was happening. She would have to be patient for that however, because they were no closer to answers today than they were when he first materialized what seemingly was thin air.

Her mind was in a million places at once. But that was hardly new. She had long learned to function at a high level while balancing a thousand and one thoughts in her head but while the stress was familiar the reason behind it was not. Part of her was sure that she had not fully recovered from her shock. She would be damned if she used that as a crutch.

There were rumblings in the village and had been for quite some time. Some saw her as weak, unfit to run the village. If that was not enough, some even went as far as to call her too old for the position. Never mind that the Third had been a fossil. But she understood what the differences between him and her were. He had been forced to don the hat once the Forth was believed to be dead. He had been asked to resume the position out of need and in a time of instability.

She was leader while the village was going through times of peace. And that was reason enough for the crazies to come out of the woodwork and call for her resignation. Konoha had made massive strides but there were still some backward thinking individuals that did not appreciate that the strongest post in the village was held by a woman. There were not many in number but the voices of an arrogant few were usually louder than the many rational, level-headed individuals.

She would never give her adversaries the satisfaction of witnessing her unraveling. She understood politics. She had to work twice as hard to gain the respect that was given to predecessors without question. She had to have a firm control over her emotions. No one could see her fear, her pain, or her uncertainty. Because if they saw a scratch in her armor, no matter how thin or superficial, their cause would only gain momentum and she would have given them the ammunition they were lacking.

His reappearance posed a challenge but she was never one to run away from a fight. . And the never give up spirit was something that she has passed on to her student. Tsunade was ready to fight to him even if it meant losing everything because he had done the same for her and the village. She cleared her throat and licked her lips before asking the question she already knew the answer to.

"Are you sure?" She asked again, only this time her voice was firmer. Her amber eyes did not miss the deep fatigue on the twenty-four year old face. She looked much older than what her birth certificate read.

It was hard for her. She really did not want to put Sakura through another round of explanations but she needed, absolutely needed, Sakura to be sure before she approached their long lost Hokage. She had to be thorough. The balance of things rested on it.

The corner of Sakura's mouth dipped into a frown. But to the woman's credit she did not show any other indicators of her impatience. Which was promising it of itself, Sakura too would have to deal with others constantly dismissing her overly emotional and irrational because of her gender. She needed to learn not to wear her heart on her sleeve and she also had to figure out with whom she could share her real emotions. Not everyone was trustworthy.

"I'm sure." Sakura said decisively. The pinkette brought a hand to rub her face. She was tired. They both were. She could tell that Tsunade was still not fully convinced. Sakura's eyes traveled and settled on her toes. She was thinking, thinking very hard. It was exhausting just to watch. "He was already healing when I got to him." Tsuande's eyes narrowed at the news. Suddenly the fog of uncertainty was gone from her face.

Medicine, medicine was something that her brain could comprehend, inside and out. Medicine was familiar ground it was almost comforting in her current state of muddle-headedness. Medicine was something that she could always count on to make sense to her. Medicine was safe, medicine was her ally. It was something that she could handle, no questions asked and no matter what day of the week it was.

Sakura could see the question dancing on her mentor's pinched lips. The Haruno beat her to it. She really did not like it when Tsunade- or anyone for the matter- doubted her. "I was only able to get control of the situation because he was already beginning to regenerate some of his damaged tissue. He was already healing from the inside out. I would not have been able to save him otherwise." The pinkette concluded rather unsettled. She understood the weight of what she had just shared.

Tsunade closed her eyes. She knew the unspoken fact that Sakura was alluding to. The situation had just become significantly more complicated. It seemed like an eternity before Tsuande opened them again. Sakura's gaze never left her face. She was searching for something desperately. The pair rounded the corner. They were getting further and further away from the blissfully unaware inhabitants of Konoha and closer to the one and only Yondaime. Only two glass doors separated them now.

The sannin nodded her head curtly at the head medic. "Get some sleep, kid. But don't leave the hospital." Sakura blinked lethargically at the Hokage. Tsunade moved past her with a slight feeling of guilt. But she had long learned to just let it go. Guilt had no place in her profession. Sakura knew what she was signing up for when she asked to be Tsuande's disciple.

But the closer she came to the Yondaime's room and the further she moved from Sakura, she could not quite shake the nagging feeling that no one really knew the magnitude of just what they were signing up for.

Because it all honesty, who could have possibly have predicted this?

* * *

His head snapped to the turning of the knob.

If he had been day dreaming before, he was certainly fully alert now. Even the haze of the medication the pink haired medic had injected in his veins could not keep him disoriented for long. The longer he was conscious, the clearer his head became. He needed answers and his gut told him that he was about to get what he was seeking.

His cerulean eyes widened in shock but that only lasted for a second. An easy smile stretched across his nondescript features. Relief coursed through him_. 'Finally, a familiar face' _the voice of in his head sounded- dare he say- cheerful and hopeful. If Tsunade was here the people in Konoha were in good hands. How many lives did she single-handedly save that others would have deemed a lost cause? He had no doubt in his mind that having the slug princess back after such a catastrophic event meant that maybe, just maybe, Konoha's luck was just starting to turn around.

His eyes crinkled in concern at the tension in her shoulders. Instantly he sat up straighter, he barely even acknowledged the restraints. Tsunade must have her reasons. The far-off look she donned on her face could not mean good news. She did not greet him as he would have expected her. In fact, she was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Almost as if she was not fully sure if she wanted to approach him. His dread only grew with each passing second.

Tsuande halted midstride. Her heart seized. His face meant nothing to her. If she allowed herself the luxury of believing that this man was nothing more than her average patient. It would not be such a hard task had it not been for his eyes. His eyes, Kami, they froze her insides. Nothing could have prepared her for this. No amount of steeling herself could have helped make any of this easier. His eyes caused a sudden and aggressive wave of nausea to overcome her. Tsunade pushed her bangs from her face. a thin film of sweat drenched her brow.

His face maybe different by the loose smile was definitely the same. It had faltered some but it was still perched on his lips and it tormented her. Tsuande reached for his chart and read it halfheartedly. She was buying time, prolonging the inevitable. But he did not need to know that. Tsunade cleared her throat but the warning fell on deaf ears. He was studying her, watching her, with his eyes. He was looking at her with _Naruto's_ eyes.

It was funny how a little bit of time changed everything. In the past when she looked at Naruto, his eyes were his father's eyes. But all it took was twenty-five years of the Namikaze being gone for Naruto's eyes to become his own. Now it was the brat's eyes that were looking at her.

"Tsunade," Minato began. Tsuande closed her eyes. It was his voice. It was only now hitting her just how much she missed hearing the clam, reassuring, cadence of his voice. It was only now hitting her just how much she missed having Minato around. He really was one of a kind. This was all wrong. She should be crushing him with a bone rattling hug. But instead she was having her heart be crushed as she continued to drink him in.

"Minato," she smiled lightly at the blonde. It felt good to say his name again. It made all of this real for her. Saying his name out loud was significant. Saying it out loud meant that this was real, it was happening, this was not a fragment of her overactive imagination. This was really happening. His name left her tongue tingling. "How are you feeling?" She asked him more out of habit than out of genuine curiosity.

She could see the pain in his eyes. But he was not one to complain. It was just one of the things that made him who he was. The man shrugged. The gesture was ill advised. He was grimacing from the aggravated injuries.

How easy was it to slip back into their ways, for Minato to be grossly unconcerned with his own wellbeing and for her to chide him for it? He reminded her so much of Jiraiya that it hurt her, it physically hurt. Tsuande clicked her tongue in an annoyed manner. He grinned easily at her as Tsunade checked his bandages.

Sakura had done an impeccable job, not that she was surprised. They were still clean and pristine which was a good sign. "When did you come back?" His voice asked her again. Tsunade flicked her eyes to his visage. She nearly forgot that his voice did not match his face. Her eyes were peering at a stranger. But in her heart of hearts she knew who he was. She hastily brought her eyes back to his chart.

She feigned looking at it to keep from answering his question. He was stable in a physical sense but she had no way to knowing how he was at a mental standpoint. She would have to converse with him longer to gauge his mindset and whether he could handle it or not. Because hurt or not, he was capable of doing real damage and she hoped that she never would have to find out the extent of his new abilities.

She felt his eyes trained on her. Tsunade knew that his patience was beginning to wear thin. Kushina really was a bad influence on him and in more ways than one. "I've been back for a while now. The village needed me." She said candidly. To her relief Minato did not press her too much on the issue. Tsuande signed deeply before lowering herself to the foot of his bed. She clasped her hands together. There was no easy way to do this. She was a trailblazer, really. But what were the odds of something like this ever happening again?

"You gave us quite a scare back there." She began in a light tone. And he did. He nearly scared the life right out of Sakura. It was a miracle that the woman had enough sense in the head to stop his bleeding when she saw him. Sakura was a resourceful enough and for that Tsunade could not be more thankful.

The man made a face. She had to keep reminding herself of just who she was talking to. She had to also keep reminding herself that it had been almost thirty years since she last saw him talking, breathing, _living_. She could see the worry in the set of his shoulders, the dip of his lips, and the darkness of his eyes. He was worried for the village that he believed had just been under attack.

"I'm fine." He said with conviction. Tsunade nodded her head in agreement. He was fine, for now. "Where's Naruto? How's the village? What kind of numbers are we looking at?" Tsunade pressed her eyelids together. And so it began; the rapid fire questions. They were all loaded. It was like navigating a field littered with invisible paper bombs. One wrong step and it could all be over.

She slowly, gingerly released him from the restraints. They had been placed on him as a precaution, of the off chance he was not someone who he claimed to be. There was no reason for them now. Besides, it was not as if they could hold him if he really wanted to get out of them. He instantly began to rub his wrists. Minato shot her a thankful smile. The action did not reach his eyes. He was in full on Hokage mode now.

"He's fine." Tsunade gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "He's as healthy as an ox." She smiled knowingly at the man. Naruto was the picture of health. Minato's shoulder's dipped with the news. It was the only indication of his relief. But she could tell that only a fraction of his worry was put to rest. "The village is fine too. The casualty rate was much lower than it could have been. Konoha's stronger than ever." The guilt was coming back. She was lying to him, or at least it felt like she was. The words that came out of her mouth were the truth in a sense but they did not reflect the context that Minato was referring to.

But her words seemed to put his mind at ease. The man leaned back in his cot. His brown locks pressed into the pillow creating a halo around his head. Sakura had done the best she could to protect his identity but eyes were always her weak point. She probably did not have enough chakra to mask his eyes color.

_'Probably for the best,_' she thought to herself. It was the last part of Minato that the world could see. His eyes, his beautiful eyes, would stay. She did not have the heart to blanket them with anything less than extraordinary. It was her small gift for the man. He needed something familiar to greet him when he looked in the mirror from here on out.

"That's good." He said in a disarming manner. "Now Tsunade, can we both cut the act? What aren't you telling me?" His eyes focused on hers. She did not even have a chance to school her features before his gaze pinned her in place. Her palms were beginning to itch but Tsuande, to the best of her ability, kept her emotions in check.

"Minato give it time." She warned in a low tone. "You really need your rest." It was a halfhearted attempt to get him to drop the subject but she really had no hope that Minato would do as she asked. He was a lot like Naruto in that respect. We he wanted something, really wanted something, no one stood in his way. Minato was not the type of man that many people said no to.

He snorted. "I've been resting enough. I need to know. I need to know what I happening to my village. I need to know what happened to my son. I need to know why there's a nurse in here that I've never seen before in my life, and you of all people know that I never forget a face. I need to know why I'm still alive. I need to know why I was restrained in my own village. I need to know, I need to know Tsunade." His eyes were navy. They were closer to black than blue.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She looked at her hands. Whether he was ready or not he was about to have the conversation of a lifetime, Tsunade licked her lips before opening her mouth. "You fell from the sky." She took in his taken aback expression with an inward cringe. She had just repeated the words that Sakura had said to her not to long ago. _'So much for easing him into it,'_ she thought humorlessly. She could have played her cards much better. But she figured they did not call her the Legendary Sucker for no reason.

Before Minato could speak she cut him off. She could only do this if he did not interrupt her. If she stopped talking she did not think that she could start again. "You fell from the sky," she began again. Only this time her eyes met his with certainty. She sent a silent prayer to her brother and lover. She needed all the strength that she could get.

* * *

Sakura bolted upright.

A thin layer of cold sweat glued her scrubs to her. The short locks clung around her neck almost like a noose. She pawed at them in an effort to free her neck. Sakura looked around and gathered her bearings. She was not in her bed, she was not at home. The pinkette groaned.

She was in the basement. She had collapsed on a battered old mattress. Her nose took in the reek of the material. She was convinced that it was mold but she was too tired to care at this point. Sakura kicked the thin, scratchy blanket from her body. She was overheating. The Haruno rubbed her clammy forehead. She groaned again. It was a fever or the very start of one. She was pushed herself too far again. All her symptoms matched the diagnosis of chakra exhaustion. And the worst part was that she had no one to blame but herself.

She rose to her feet slowly. But no matter how slowly she moved her head was still spinning when she stood upright. If she had anything in her stomach, it would have painted the floors by now. She glanced at the clock in the room. It was three in the morning. She had slept for over nine hours. But she was still exhausted. There had been weeks that she only clocked in nine hours of sleep total overall and she had felt better then, than she did now.

She could have slept fifteen hours straight and still been tired. Chakra exhaustion was not something fun to experience. Chakra exhaustion was one of the most frustrating conditions to deal with. Only time and rest could fix it and she had neither. The pinkette stared at the clock for a moment more before she decided to make the best of her early morning rise.

Chakra or no chakra, she still had a lot to do today.

* * *

She gripped the handle of his door.

She could hear his uneven breathing from behind it. He was awake. Sakura pressed her hot forehead against the cool wood. He was awake and that could only mean one thing. Tsunade had told him. He knew. He knew that he had missed twenty-five years of his son's life. He had missed twenty-four birthdays. He had missed so much.

He blinked and nothing would ever be the same again. He blinked and the world had moved on around him but he was still frozen in place. His son, his son was now only three years younger than him. His wife had been dead for over a quarter of a century. They were sure she was dead because there had been a body. They had buried her. She was dead, gone forever.

He was still alive. Sakura counted to three in her head before she gathered enough courage to knock lightly. She waited a heartbeat before entering. Her footfalls were silent. Walking around barefoot had its benefits at times.

He did not acknowledge her presence. She did not expect him to. He was too busy glaring at the ceiling. Anger, it was easier to deal with situations with anger. Anger was better than the alternative. Anger was better than depression, self-loathing. Anger was readily grown, easy to hold on to. Anger was something that made things simple. She understood anger better than most. She was not the forgiving type. It had taken so much for her to stop holding a grudge against Ino and it was over something as cliche as a boy.

It was easy, convenient even to be angry at the fox, to be angry at the masked man. Anger made it possible to blame others, to place blame on someone else. Anger made the situation more bearable. But anger also made it harder to let it go. Anger made it nearly impossible to move on. It consumed all. And she hoped that it would not consume him. She believed that everything happened for a reason. He was being given another chance. Anger was deadly, anger was a slippery slope. Holding on to anger would never resolve anything.

She sat on the foot of his bed. She fixed him with her best smile. She needed someone to talk to and he was not going anywhere. He was going to be her confidant willingly or unwillingly. She needed to get a few things off her chest. His eyes never left the ceiling his mouth never eased from the deep frown. But she knew he would lend her his ear. He did not have much choice in the matter.

Sakura looked around the room before sighing softly. Her eyes filled with her pity. He was scared. He was confused. He was hurt. Her heart went out to him. Sakura down at her clasped hands, it would be up to her to start the ball rolling. She would have to be the one to help him heal. She was the one to find him after all. She could not help but feel responsible for him.

She trained her eyes on the five white lilies and began to formulate her thoughts into words. "The day I was put in my genin team, it was probably the happiest day of my life. I was vein. I had little interest in being a shinobi. I think I joined the academy because my best friend, her name is Ino- by the way-did. She was so cool. I wanted to be just like her. So the day that she signed up that was the same day that I did." Sakura smiled fondly at the memory. Again there was nothing from him but that hardly deterred her.

"I had a huge fight with my parents. They hated the idea of it but after days of not talking to them they finally gave in. I think it was because they secretly thought that I would quit after a few weeks. They did not think I had it in me. Normally that might discourage some kids but it did the opposite for me. It fueled me. I stayed in the academy out of spite. But they were my parents. They eventually came around. The day I graduated the academy I think my parents were never prouder. Except from when I became Tusnade-shishou's apprentice. But I'm getting off track," Sakura exclaimed brightly.

It was white noise. She realized that. She was nervous. She was rambling and she was well aware of that. But it had been days since she had last spoken to her best friend. It had been days since Naruto had listened to her go on and on about the most mundane of things. The man before had been through a lot. She figured he could use some mundane. And besides she needed someone to listen to her words. Ino would never let her get in more than five syllables without being interrupted or mocked.

She did not understand it but something about sitting here next to him made it easy for her to unload. So she rambled. She verbally reminisced until her fever broke. She talked until her heart felt lighter. She mused until his eyes closed and he fell asleep. She spoke until his face relaxed, until her own eyes began to feel heavy. She talked until she was too tired to talk anymore.

And he heard every word.

* * *

Please take a moment and share your thoughts. It would mean the world to me. Thank you!


	5. Blessings in Disguise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

**Warning Contains: spoilers**

* * *

Hello All,

It's been a while and trust me, I know how long I have kept all of you waiting. I really wish I could churn out chapters much faster than I am but unfortunately life just keeps getting in the way.

That being said, I just want to take a moment to thank you guys. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You have no idea how happy ya'll make me. Every read, favorite, follow, and review just lift my spirits. So thank you for making this story a part of your life. And I really, really hope that we'll all make this journey together until the end.

Please be patient with me. :) I really appreciate it.

In this chapter there is a shift in the plot. A familiar face makes an appearance and hopefully it is memorable. So please enjoy and once you're done leave me a little note about your thoughts. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks again!

~L.H.

* * *

**Chapter Five: Blessings in Disguise**

Time was fluid. It was out of her understanding, her control when she was surrounded by the four walls of what now had become her fortress. It was strange. The hospital was always a welcoming place for her. She never understood Naruto's antsy behavior whenever he set foot on the porcelain floors.

The hospital was always the one place in which she could keep busy and improve herself. But now it was becoming something more. No longer did the white walls and equally white ceiling only represent a place for growth as a medial ninja. It had slowly become a place where she could reflect. She reflected on her past, her present, and what she wanted her future to be.

Time came and went. Hours flew by in a whirl of silence and occasionally chatter, which was all of her own doing. It was comfortable. It was constant. And it was probably the only thing keeping her going at the moment.

Because she understood what waited for her, for him outside the protection of these very walls. There would be questions, suspicious glances, and talk. If she dwelled on it too long she was almost certain her ears were ringing with the low murmurs of the towns people.

It was a tad overwhelming to think of it all on such a grand scale. So she took the advice she often gave to her patients_. 'One day at a time, just take it one day at a time.'_ It was working so far. She would speak, share moments of her past that she remembered fondly and others that she did not remember so fondly. She was careful to keep the names of her teammates to herself. She did not want Minato to form an opinion on his son before he even met him. Her goal was to keep him as unbiased as possible until the fateful day of their first encounter came.

And Minato was probably the best listener she had ever come across. Never did he interrupt, complain, or get annoyed. But it was more than that. The more she shared the lighter she became. Her childhood and genin days had their share of trauma and by talking she was reliving the moments and that was enough to help her get over a few things of her own.

The days were beginning to blur together so much so that seven of them had passed by in what seemed like a blink of an eye.

* * *

A week went by and everyday like clockwork she checked up on him. It was silly really how much effort she was putting into the one sided conversations she had with him. It was silly because she did not even take the time to rearrange her workload or schedule to see her friends on a semi-regular basis. Yet here she was, swapping more shifts than she could count all to see him.

Maybe it was the responsibility she felt for him because after all, she was the one to find him, to heal him, to keep him alive. Maybe it was because he was Naruto's father, his long lost, long thought to be dead father. But that hardly mattered to her. All she knew was that he was hurting.

He was recovering from his physical wounds nicely and she credited that to the beast whom he housed. It was only half of the monster's chakra but it was still enough to induced fear in her. The signs had been there all along. He was not revived with Kabuto's jutsu. Madara was unable to summon the Ten Tails because he did not have enough of the Kyuubi's chakra. The hints had been there since the beginning but who could have seen this coming?

Who, in a sound state of mind, could have concluded that Minato was never killed from any of that? He should be dead. Soundly dead, yet he was breathing right before her. He should have died. He had a gaping hole in him. She literally could have seen right through him.

The more she talked to him, observed him, the more apparent it became to her. He was never meant to die. It was out of his control. Something bigger than her, bigger than him, had planned this from the get-go. He was being kept alive by some kind of twisted, cruel joke. He was alive but most of the people he loved were either gone or had long forgotten him.

Fate was often credited to being cruel but even given that Sakura found his situation to be excessive. His physical injuries were healing better than she could have ever hope for but she wished she could say that same for the scars than ran deeper than just the surface. The man before her was broken. She could see the defeat in his eyes, his posture, his demeanor. He had given up. And it was killing her.

Because she too was once that defeated, it had taken Naruto nearly getting killed for her to snap out of it. On more than once occasion she too felt so useless, so helpless, and so victimized. It was hard to look at him and not see some of her former self reflected back at her.

His loss made Sakura's seem petty. She lost two people that loved her and that she loved deeply. He lost his whole world, or enough of it to seem that way. They were both dealing with grief but on different levels, on different scales, and given two completely separate circumstances. Hers was by accident and his was due to the fox that was now keeping him alive.

Yet despite all their differences they had one thing in common, fate. Cruel, cruel fate was something both of them could understand better than most.

She had saved Naruto's father but she could not keep from thinking- no matter how briefly- that maybe it would have been better for everyone is she had just let him bleed out. She was not blind, she was not so naïve anymore, she did not miss the effect him being here had on her Hokage. Tsunade was being held together by strings and glue. She locked herself out to the world, only keeping the company of a few trusted individuals. Sakura could relate to her. How hard must it be for the blonde to keep her mind from thinking up crazy hypotheticals?

What if Dan was still alive? What if Nawaki could come back? Would Jiraiya be the next to come back? Why was Minato here? What was so special about now? Why?

Sakura blinked at the files before her. Guilt settled in her stomach. He was alive. She should be happy. Things were looking up, right? She rubbed her face in a tired habit.

It was only nine AM but she had been up for almost six hours. She crossed her legs, right over the left. The sudden movement caused circulation to be restored to her limbs. She breathed in sharply as the very unpleasant pins and needles feeling overcame her. It was the first things she had felt all morning other than numbness and nausea.

Sakura massaged her scalp as she leaned back. She stared at the ceiling tiredly. Today would be the day that Minato would be released from the hospital. She had fought tooth and nail for this. Tsunade had argued that keeping Minato in the hospital for a few more days might be the best course of action but Sakura was convinced that the man needed to feel the sun on his face, the wind in his hair to have his will to live rejuvenated.

He needed something, anything. Konoha had been taking and taking from this man since his birth and now it was, time for the village to give a little. The hospital might be a safe place for her but if Minato was anything like Naruto, the hospital was nothing more than a place where people came to die. And she was not ready to let him go so quickly after bringing him back.

A sudden loud ruckus outside of the door had her on her feet. With a sinking feeling Sakura opened the door to come face to face with a very irate blonde. Sakura sent a silent prayer to the Gods asking for mercy before she was shook roughly by the shoulders. Her vision swam before her and for a horrifying second Sakura was concerned that she would puke all over the one person that she never would dream of doing so.

When her vision finally settled it locked on a pair of furious baby blue orbs. _'Oh boy,' _she steeled herself for what was to come. Running would only make matters so much worse. It was finally time to face the music. Maybe she should not have spent so much time worrying amount Minato, seeing that her end could very much be right before her. "Yes?" Sakura asked her visitor in her most pleasant voice possible.

It seemed only to enrage her further. Ino glowered in Sakura's face. "Forehead!" The very red faced blonde had now settled her hands on her hips. Sakura had to take a step back and close her eyes to keep the waves of nausea at bay. Ino's lips were moving rather rapidly and with her vision currently swimming Sakura struggled to keep up. "For days! You've been AWOL for days, Forehead! Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?! So much for taking it easy! What do you have to say for yourself? Well?" Ino stared at her expectantly.

She was terrifying and that was even before the crazy pregnancy hormones. It would not take much into bullying one of the nurses to get her location. They were weak willed but Sakura did not have it in her heart to hold it against them. It was a miracle that they had managed to keep her away for so long. It took a moment for Sakura to carefully measure out her words. If she was lucky, Ino would just chalk it up to the pinkette being stupid.

"I've been busy." Sakura's eyes involuntarily darted to the door behind them. There was no doubt in her mind that Minato had heard every word of the tongue lashing that she had just received. The slight eye flicker was a mistake because before she could utter a word of protest, Ino was pushing past her and already half way into the room. For a woman that was over seven months pregnant, she moved surprisingly fast.

Sakura hurried to stand behind her with a worried look on her face. Minato was staring at the ceiling again. Nothing had changed. Sakura had to remind herself to remain calm. While she saw through the jutsu others only saw the brown locks and plain features of a stranger. Ino studied him critically, not unlike how a cat eyes a mouse before going in for the pounce. Her brow arched upwards as she turned to pin Sakura with a less than amused gaze.

"So he's the one that you're spending all your time with? Honestly Sakura, you know better than to fall for a patient. What's wrong with him anyway?" Ino dismissed the flabbergasted look on Sakura's face. The pinkette stood sputtering in place as she took turns from looking at Ino to risking glances at Minato's face. He was forever impassive. If it were not for the blinking he could pass as a corpse.

"I-I" Sakura did not even know how to come back from that. But she did have enough sense to grab Ino by the elbow and lead the blonde to a room far, far away from the Yondiame. "You had no right to say all that in front of him!" Sakrua bared her teeth at the rather bored looking woman. "Ino!" Sakura barked after the Yamanaka began to study her nails in a disinterested manner. Sakura's face was as red as Ino's had been a few short moments ago.

"What was I supposed to do huh?" Ino retorted back with a challenge. Her eyes blazed with so many emotions that it caught Sakura off guard. "Do you have any idea how scared I am? I'm having a baby Sakura. A baby! And at the time I need you the most you're nowhere to be found." Sakura looked at the ground. Guilt started to replace the mortification. "You're my best friend Sakura. I need you. Between Team Seven and this hospital I only have you a few hours a week and that's if everything goes perfectly. I don't want to have to share that time with someone else."

"I'm sorry." The Haruno muttered through barely moving lips. The lump that had formed in Sakura's throat threatened to make breathing next to impossible. Sakura blinked back tears. The rawness in Ino's voice, the honest on her face humbled Sakura. It tore all her walls down. She grabbed Ino's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm here. Everything will be fine, I promise." She smiled unevenly at Ino. The blonde dismissed Sakura's apology as if it were nothing. But her eyes held gratitude that Sakura would scale mountains for.

The blonde tilted her head to the side and grinned. Sakura's stomach sank. It was not a friendly smile. It was purely predatory. "And besides, I had to embarrass you in front of your new boyfriend, that's what friends do." Ino winked at her. Sakura groaned. Ino's pregnancy was making her even less predictable than she ever was.

* * *

She knocked softly on his door. It was just enough to alert him that she was here if he were awake but quiet enough to ignore if he was sleeping. She entered without him giving her permission. That was just how they did it. Sakura sat a solitary chair in the room. She placed her best smile on her face and did her best to push the memory of this morning out of her head.

Ino had cleaned her out. The blonde had guilt tripped Sakura into spending her budget for the week on yellow onesies and baby toys. But as much Sakura liked to complain she cherished the moments that she spent with the woman she considered her sister. It was a nice change of pace and yet again she found herself in Ino's debit.

The blonde would never admit it out loud but she had a sixth sense when it came to finding Sakura when she was at her lowest and doing her best to cheer her up. It was times like these that Sakura found it hard to believe that they had once ended their friendship for a boy.

"Well, I just wanted to let you know that you can leave the hospital today!" Sakura said brightly. Again there was nothing to confirm that he heard her. "I've made arrangements for you to live-"she was stunned into silence when his cobalt eyes focused on hers. This was the first time in a week that he had even looked at her.

She took a moment to recover from her initial shock.

Something inside of her stirred. His gaze had made her uncomfortable at first but now it set it thrill from the base of her neck down to her spine. It might not seem like much but to her it was a major milestone. He was acknowledging her. With a simple eye flicker he had let her know that he in fact was processing what she was saying, that he was not in some sort of comatose state where he was incapable of speaking, understanding or even thinking.

The smallest of response, of acknowledgement, made her want to jump in the air for joy. This day was going better than she could have ever expected it to. _'Progress, we're making progress.'_ Hope, she now had hope that maybe just maybe things would work themselves out. It was not much but it was enough. It was something. He had given her something and now it was time for her to give him something in return-a sigh of good faith, if you will.

A slow knowing smile stretched across her face. Excitement bubbled through her. She tried and failed to keep the eagerness from her words. "Trust me, you're gonna want to thank me later." She saw something akin to interest flicker through his eyes. It was gone before she even blinked. Her heart went out to him but if Ino was right, and Sakura had a sneaking suspicion that she was, Minato would be back on track to kicking his depression to the curb.

After all, who else could she count on making even the biggest of grouches friendly better than her blonde knucklehead of a teammate?

_'No one,' _even the voice of her subconscious could not help but get swept up in the giddiness.

* * *

I'll try my best to post the next chapter sooner. Until then!


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